DISCOURSE, 


DELIVERED    AT    LEXINGTON, 


MARCH  31,  18ia, 


THE   DAY  WHICH  COMPLETED  A  CENTURY   FROM  THE 
INCORPORATION  OF  THE  TOWN. 


BY  AVERY  WILLIAMS, 

FIFTH  PASTOR  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  LEXINGTON. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  SAMUEL  T.  ARMSTRONG, 

No.    50,   Cornhill. 
1813. 


DISCOURSE, 


DELIVERED    AT    LEXINGTON, 


MARCH  31,  1813, 


THE   DAY  WHICH  COMPLETED  A  CENTURY   FROM  THE 
INCORPORATION  OF  THE  TOWN. 


BY  AVERY  WILLIAMS, 

FIFTH  PASTOR  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  LEXINGTON. 


BOSTON: 

PRLNTED  BY  SAMUEL   T.  ARMSTRONG, 

No.    50,   CornhiU. 

1813. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 
AT  AMHERST 


UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

Special  Collections  &  Rare  Books 


CENT  U 11 V  1)1  SCO  U  IIS  i: 


1  Samuix  vii,  12. 

HITHERTO  HAHI  THE   LORD  HELPED  US. 

IT  was  a  memorable  day,  on  which  Samuel  expressed 
this  grateful  and  jVious  acknowledgement  of  the  good- 
ness of  God  to  Israel.  By  a  wonderful  interposition 
of  providence  the  nation  had  been  delivered  from 
impending  ruin.  When  they  were  trembling  in  ex- 
pectation of  a  calamitous  defeat,  ihc  JjOrd  thundered 
with  a  great  thunder  upon  the  Philistines,  and  they 
were  smitten  before  Israel.  Then  Samuel  took  a 
stone,  and  set  it  up  hetrceen  Mispeh  and  Shen,  and 
called  the  name  of  it   Eben-ezer,  sa?/iug',  hitherto 

IIATII    THE    LORD    HELPED    US  ^ 

The  subjects  of  God's  providential  care  and  gra- 
cious smiles  have  constant  occasion  to  erect  monu- 
ments to  his  goodness.  It  is  a  duty  we  owe  our  divine 
Benefactor  to  maintain  a  lively  sense  of  our  depend- 
ance  upon  him,  and  to  review  with  gratitude  and 
humility  his  past  dealings  with  us.  Tliere  are  periods 
in  our  lives,  when  we  should,  in  a  special  manner, 
regard  the  'work  of  the  Lord,  and  consider  the  oper- 
at  ions  of  his  hands;  and  there  are  particular  seasons 
which  every  civil  and  religious  community  should 
spend  in  calling  to  mind  events,  the  fruits  of  which 
they  are  reaping.     The  ancient  people  of  God   were. 


4 

required  to  remember  the  days  of  old,  the  years  of 
many  generations;  and  the  practice  of  observing  cer- 
tain fixed  portions  of  time  for  commemorating  past 
dispensations  of  providence  was  enjoined  upon  them 
by  divine  authority.  God  established  a  testimony  in 
Jacob,  and  appointed  a  law  in  Israel,  which  he  com- 
manded  their  fathers,  that  they  should  make  them 
known  to  their  children;  that  the  generation  to  come 
might  know  them,  even  the  children  which  should  be 
born:  who  shoidd  arise  and  declare  them  to  their 
children;  that  they  might  set  their  hope  in  god, 

AND    NOT   forget    THE     VTORKS     OF     GOD;     BUT     KEEP 
HIS    COMMANDMENTS. 

It  is  no  less  beneficial  than  pleasing  to  cultivate  an 
acquaintance  with  the  history  of  ancient  times.  The 
inquisitive  iand  serious  are  not  only  amused,  but  essen- 
tially improved,  by  inquiring  into  the  origin  and  pro- 
gress of  states  and  empires,  and  especially  of  the  church 
of  God.  *'By  knowing  the  things  that  have  been, 
they  become  better  judges  of  the  things  that  are;''  and 
by  tracing  the  footsteps  of  Jehovah  through  past  ages, 
they  obtainiilmore  elevated  and  affecting  views  of  his 
character  and  government. 

If  a  knowledge  of  history  in  general  be  thus  useful, 
it  certainly  cannot  be  unprofitable  to  know  the  char- 
acter and  circumstances  of  our  ancestors,  and  the  past 
events  which  are  intimately  connected  with  our  present 
condition.  The  displays  of  divine  goodness  in  the  set- 
tlement and  growth  of  the  towns  and  churches  in  this 
vicinity  demand  a  grateful  acknowledgment  and  per- 
petuation. Durable  as  the  everlasting 'hills  should  be 
the  monuments  raised  in  honor  of  Him,  who  was  the 
God  of  our  fathers,  and  who  has  been  the  Friend  and 
Shield  of  their  offspring.      We  are  under  sacred  obli- 


5 

gations  to  remember,  and  shew  to  the  generation  to 

come,  THE  PRAISES  OF  THE  LORD,  AND  mS  STRENGTH, 
AND  mS  WONDERFUL  W^ORKS  THAT  HE  HATH  DONE. 

Having  obtained  help  of  God,  ice  continue  imioi his 
day,  andlu-e  assembled  in'hls  house  for  the  purpose  of 
reviewing  a  series  of  events,  whieh  should  remind  us  ol 
our  obiiglitions  to  love,  and  fear,  and  serve  him.    The 
last  of  one  hundred  years  since  the  incorporation  of 
this  town  is  now  closing.*      With  the  elapse  of  these 
years  many  things  have  taken  place,  which  are  worthy 
of  recollection.   The  occasion  invites,  curiosity  impels, 
and  a  sense  of  duty  should  incline  us  to  look  back  to 
our  "day  of  small  things"  and  examine  the  progress 
we  have  been  making  to  our  present  condition.     One 
generation  shall  praise  thy  t€orks,  0  Lord,  to  another. 
They  shall  abundantly  utter  the  memory  of  thy  great 
goodness,  and  sing  of  thy  righteousness. 

The  territory  we  inhabit  was,  for  many  years,  m- 
eluded  within  the  bounds  of  Cambridge,  and  distin- 
guished from  other  parts  of  the  town  by  the  name  of 
^Cambridge  Farms,  ^Cambridge  appears,  in  the  first 
instance,  to  have  contained  merely  a  sufiicient  tract  of 
land  for  a  fortified  town.^'  As  early  as  1(334,  only 
three  years  after  the  first  settlement  of  the  place,  ''the 
number  of  inhabitants  had  become  disproportioned  to 
the  township."  They  '^complained  of  straitness  for 
want  of  land,  especially  meadow,  and  desired  leave  of 
the  Council  to  look  out  either  for  enlargement  or  re- 

•  The  act  of  incorporation  bears  date,  March  20,  1712.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  the  vear  was  then  considered  as  bej,nr.niiig  on  ihe  25.1> 
of  March,  and  that  a  diflPcrcnce  of  eleven  days  between  Old  and  Ncv,' 
Stile  must  be  allowed,  it  ^viU  at  once  be  perceived  that  the  date  of  the 
incorporating  act,  according  to  the  present  n.ode  oi  co.nputm-  tune, 
would  be  M  arch  31,  1713. 


y 


i) 

moval,  which  was  granted."*  In  1636,  about  a  hun- 
dred of  the  inhabitants,  consisting  of  the  principal  part 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Hooker's  church  and  congregation,  who 
came  there  in  1632,  removed,  "through  a  hideous  and 
trackless  wilderness  to  Connecticut. "t  The  inhabi- 
tants which  remained,  soon  finding  their  limits  too  nar- 
row, discovered  a  like  propensity  to  emigrate.  In  the 
spring  of  1644,  the  church  was  about  to  remove  to 
Mattakeese,  (now  Yarmouth)  where  a  settlement  had 
then  lately  commenced.^  To  prevent  this  removal, 
*the  General  Court  was  pleased  to  grant  them  a  tract  of 
land  at  Shawshine,  (Billerica)  and  another  parcel  ad- 
joining to  Concord  line,  for  the  enlargement  of  their 
boundaries,  and  to  enable  the  church  and  town  to 
maintain  the  ministry.'^  It  was  at  this  time  that  the 
limits  of  Cambridge  were  so  extended  as  to  include 
whcit  now  constitutes  the  territory  of  this  town. 

Previous  to  this,  however,  and  probably  as  early  as 
1640,  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Cambridge  took  pos- 
session of  several  tracts  of  land  and  began  to  erect 
buildings  within  the  limits  of  this  place.  |1  They  first 
occupied  the  meadows,  some  of  which  were  found 
open  and  fertile,  and  hence  better  prepared  for  imme- 

*  Dr.  Holmes'  Hist,  of  Cam.     Gov.  Winlhrop's  Journal,  fibid. 

+  Winthrop's  Journal,  p.  152,  183. 

§  Records  and  Documents  in  the  Secretary  of  State's  Office,  under 
the  date  of  lc4i,  and  1683. — The  act  referred  to  passed  in  the  following 
■words:  *'Shawshine  is  granted  to  Cambridge  without  any  condition  of 
making  a  village  there;  and  the  land  between  them  and  Concord  is  grant- 
ed them,  all  save  what  is  formerly  granted  to  the  military  company,  pro, 
vided  the  church  present  continue  at  Cambridge.** 

y  In  1642,  the  proprietors  of  land  in  this  town  were  Herbert  Pelham, 
Richard  Champney,  Edward  Goffe,  John  Bridge,  Edward  Collins,  John 
Russell,  Goldon  Moore,  Edward  Winship,  Richard  Park,  John  Betts, 
and  Thomas  Danforth. — N-  B-  For  this  note  and  several  other  particulars 
I  am  indebted  to  the  kind  assistance  of  William  Winthrop,  Esq.  of  Cam- 
bridge. 


diate  improvement  than  the  iiplanj.  It  cannot  cvv 
tainly  be  ascertained  at  what  period  permanent  scUlc 
ments  were  effected;  but  it  must  have  been  not  far  from 
the  time  when  the  land  was  granted  to  Cambridfi;(.' — 
The  inhabitants,  for  several  years,  were  few,  and  iuid 
numerous  inconveniences  and  hardships  to  encounter. 
They  were  necessarily  destitute  of  many  things  which 
we  re2:ard  as  essential  to  a  comfortable  subsistence. 
In  addition  to  the  labor  of  subduing  a  wilderness,  they 
long  endured  severe  trials  in  being  often  threatened 
with  savage  violence  and  cruelty,  and  in  having  but 
few  advantages  for  religious  instruction  and  social  en- 
joyment. 

The  settlement,  however,  progressed,  and  the  em- 
barrassments, with  which  it  was  at  first  attended,  grad- 
ually diminished.  In  1682,  the  number  of  families 
had  incieased  to  about  thirty,  and  the  number  of  souls 
to  one  hundred  and  eighty.  They  had  now  no  op- 
portunity of  attending  public  worship  without  trav- 
elling from  five  to  ten  miles.  Earnestly  desirous  that 
they  and  their  children  might  enjo}',  in  a  much  great- 
er degree  than  it  was  possible  for  them  under  such  cir- 
cumstances to  enjoy,  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel,  in 
October  1682,  they  presented  a  petition  to  the  Gener- 
al Court,  praying  for  liberty  to  become  a  parish.* 
The  inhabitants  of  Cambridge  zealously  opposed  theii' 
being  separated,  and  the  petition  was  not  granted. 
They  renewed  their  application  in  16S4:  and  the  Court, 
at  this  time,  so  far  listened  to  their  request  as  to  ap- 
point a  committee  to  examine  the  place  and  establish 

*  This  petition  \y:is  s"gnccl  nncl  prcFcnti  d  in  beluilf  of  tlie  inlwibitants^ 
i»y  James  Culler,  Mailhew  Brid^^^t-,  jun.  D;ivi(l  F-ske,  sen.  Samm^l  Su.iv,', 
a^zn.  Francis    Wliiimore,  John  TuUl,  Epiu-aini  Winsliip,  and  John  WiiUer- 


bounds  for  a  parish.  This  committee  performed  the 
service  assigned  them;  but  the  opposition  of  Cambridge 
was  so  great  that  the  prayer  of  the  petitioners  was 
again  rejected.  Conscious  of  the  rectitude  of  their  in- 
tentions, they  again  renewed  their  petition  in  1691. 
The  Court,  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  their  request, 
^'ordered  and  granted,"  December  15,  1691,  "that  the 
petitioners  be  permitted  and  allowed  to  invite  and  set- 
tle an  able  and  orthodox  minister  for  the  dispensing 
of  the  Gospel  among  them."  The  bounds  of  the  par- 
ish were  ordered  to  be  the  same  as  those  pointed  out 
by  the  committee  in  1684,  and  very  near  the  same  as 
those  of  the  town  at  the  present  day.* 

Previous  to  their  being  thus  formed  into  a  parish, 
the  inhabitants  of  this  place  were  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Thomas  Shepherd,  Jonathan 
Mitchell,  Urian  Oaks,  and  Nathaniel  Gookin.  Mr. 
Shepherd  came  to  New  England,  "with  the  people 
which  were  to  constitute  his  society,"  in  1635.  The 
church,  over  which  he  presided  till  his  death,  was 
gathered,  February  1,  1636.  It  was  the  eleventh 
church  organized  in  the  colony,  and  the  first  perma- 
nent church  in  Cambridge.  Mr.  Shepherd,  died,  Au- 
gust 25,  1649.  He  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Mitchell, 
August  21,  1650,  who  died,  July  9,  1668.  Mr.  Oaks 
succeeded  Mr.  Mitchel,  November  8,  1671,  and  died, 
July  25,  1681.  Mr.  Gookin  was  ordained,  November 
15, 1682,  and  died,  August  7, 1692.t — Under  the  min- 

•  Records  and  documents  in  the  Secretary's  office. — Lexing^ton  origin- 
ally included  a  part  of  Lincoln  and  a  part  of  Bedford.  It  has  of  late  had 
a  small  part  of  Burlington  annexed  to  it.  It  is  i;avy  bounded  on  the  north- 
cast  by  13urlington  and  Woburn,  on  the  south-east  by  West-Cambridge 
and  Wultham,  on  the  south  west  by  Waltham,  on  the  west  by  Lincolu 
and  on  the  north-west  by  Bedford,  It  contains  10,300  acres. 
t  Dr.  Holmes'  Hist,  of  Cam,  and  Ceptury  Sermoi>. 


9 

istry  of  these  learned  and  eminently  pious  servants 
of  Christ,  our  ancestors  were  instiucted  in  those 
doctrines  of  grace,  which  are  the  pillars  and  the  glory 
of  the  christian  system,  it  was  not  in  consequence  of  any 
disaffection  to  their  religions  teacher,  or  to  the  church 
and  society  with  which  they  were  connected,  that 
they  requested  to  be  separated  from  them,  but  it  was, 
that  they  and  the  generations  which  should  succeed 
them  might  enjoy  the  privilege  of  uniformly  waiting 
upon  God  in  the  way  of  his  appointment. 

Immediately  after  they  were  constituted  a  parish 
they  began  to  make  provision  for  carrying  the  objects 
of  their  incorporation  into  effect.  A  sum  of  money 
was  raised  by  subscription  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
a  house  of  public  worship;  and  it  was  probably  early 
in  the  summer  of  1692  that  the  first  house  was  erect- 
ed. "April  22, 1692,  they  invited  Mr.  Benjamin  Es- 
tabrook  to  preach  with  them  a  year,  and  made  pro- 
vision for  his  support.  He  accepted  the  invitation  and 
commenced  his  labors  on  the  first  sabbath   in  May. 

At  this  early  period  the  inhabitants  discovered  a 
provident  and  pious  care  for  the  support  of  the  minis- 
try. In  April,  1693,  they  purchased  of  the  town,  for 
this  purpose,  *^twelve  acres  of  common  land  on  the 
east  side  of  the  causeway,  and  the  rest  of  the  common 
land  on  the  other  side,  and  on  the  south  side  of  vine- 
brook  meadow."*  By  this  purchase  they  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  fund,  the  income  of  which  is  now  ad- 
equate to  the  support  of  a  minister. 

•  This  land  was  surveyed  in  1762,  and  the  three  pieces  found  to  con- 
tain 148  acres,  and  55  and  a  half  rods.  The  piece  on  the  northerly  side 
of  the  causeway,  containing'  about  five  acres,  was  sold  in  1770. 

2 


10 

Mr.  Estabrook  continued  in  the  place  and  enjoyed 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people.  The  anxiety 
they  manifested  for  his  settlement  and  their  exertions 
to  provide  for  his  support  indicate  a  strong  attachment 
to  him.  In  the  summer  of  1694,  they  built  and  gave 
him  a  house,  on  condition  of  his  becoming  and  con- 
tinuing their  minister.*  Their  pecuniary  embarrass- 
ments, however,  were  such  that  they  made  but  slovf 
progress  in  preparations  for  his  settlement.  It  was  not 
till  April  13,  1696,that  they  made  him  their  final  prop- 
ositions for  his  maintenance.  On  the  third  of  June 
following  he  gave  an  affirmative  answer  to  their  call, 
and  on  the  twenty-first  of  the  ensuing  October  the 
services  of  his  ordination  were  performed. 

At  the  time  of  his  ordination,  Mr.  Estabrook  had 
been  laboring  with  the  people  in  word  and  doctrine 
about  four  years  and  six  months.  They  were  bound 
to  each  other  by  many  strong  and  endearing  ties. 
Satisfied  with  means  of  support  which  could  promise 
him  no  more  than  a  comfortable  subsistence,  he  was 
encouraged  and  animated  by  the  prospect  of  doing 
good  and  obtaining  the  final  reward  of  a  faithful  ser- 
vant; and  the  little  flock  intrusted  to  his  care  were 
rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  being  long  blessed  with  the 
labors  of  one,  whom  they  loved  as  a  friend  and  revered 

as  a  good  minister  of  Christ But  the  period  was 

short  in  which  they  were  permitted  to  rejoice  in  his 
light.  He,  who  worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel 
of  his  own  will,  saw  fit  to  disappoint  their  expecta- 
tions and  damp  their  joy  by  soon  depriving  them  of 

*  The  house   was  42  by   18  feet.     It  stood  a  few  rods  east  of  vine- 
brook  and  back  of  the  house  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Benjamin  Green. 


11 

their  pastor.     He  died,  July  22,  1697,  having  lived  to 
eoinplete  only  nine  months  of  his  ministry.* 

The  ehurch,  which  w  as  gatlici  ed  on  the  day  of  Mr. 
Estabrook's  ordination,  consisted,  at  the  time  of  his 
decease,  of  thiity  three  members.  The  original  number 
was  twelve.t  During  his  ministry  twenty-one  were 
added,  nine  of  which  were  by  letters  of  dismission  from 
other  churches. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Estabrook,  the  atten- 
tion of  the  society  was  directed  to  Mr.  JohnHancockJ. 
On  the  seventeenth  of  November,  1697,  they  made 
choice  of  him  to  preach  with  them  till  May  followmg, 
as  a  candidate  for  settlemxnt.  He  complied  with  the 
invitation  they  gave  him,  accepted  proposals  for  ordi- 
nation which  were  made  to  him  in  February  succeed^ 
ing,  and  was  consecrated  to  the  pastoral  office,  No- 
vember 2,  1698.§ 

•  Mr  Estabrook  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  I690.-On  his  tomb- 
stone  is  the  following  inscription: 

HERE   LIETH    INTERRED    THE    REMAINS    OF 

MR.    BENJAMIN    ESTABROOK, 
LATE    AND    FIRST    PASTOR    OF    THE  CHURCH 

OF    CHRIST    IN    THIS    l-LACE, 
SON    TO    THE    REV.    MR.    JOSEPH  ESTABROOK, 

PASTOR    OF    THE    CHURCH    IN    CONCORD, 
WHO      DEPARTED      FROM      US     TO      CHRIST, 
JULY    22,  A.  D.     I6fr. 
AGED    26    YEARS   AND    FIVE  MONTHS. 
VIRTUS  ANTEIT  ANNOS. 

t  The  following  are  .he  names  of  the  first  men,bers.  -;-  benjamin 
Eslbvook.  Davfd  Fisk.  San^uel  Stone.  ]c-hn  ><--»'  '^-^  ^J  ^^ 
Thoma.  Cutler.  David  Finke.  jun.  Samuel  WIMtemore.  W.lham  Re.d. 
John  Miriam,  Samuel  Stone, .jiin.  Thomas  Mir.am. 

t  He  was  a  son  of  Mr.  Nathaniel  Hancock  of  Cambrid£e.  He  grada. 
ated  at  Harvard  College  in  1689.  ,„j  ,•,„  n«v   Mr 

§  The  Rev.  Mr.  WiUard  of  Boston  gave  the  charge,  and  l..e  Kev.  R»u 
Estabrook  of  Concord  the  right  hand  of  fell  iwslup. 


12 

The  increase  of  inhabitants  and  property,  and  va- 
rious inconveniences  to  which  they  were  subjected 
by  remaining  a  part  of  Cambridge,  inclined  the  people 
to  petition  for  a  separation  from  the  town.  Accord- 
ingly a  committee  was  appointed  in  October,  1712,  to 
'present  their  address  to  the  town  of  Cambridge  and 
to  the  General  Court,'  requesting  that  they  might  be 
"confirmed  and  established  as  a  township."  The 
terms  of  separation  were  amicably  adjusted,  and  an 
act  passed,  March  20,  O.  S.  1713,  incorporating  the 
town  by  the  name  of  Lexington. 

The  house,  in  which  they  had  now  worshipped 
about  twenty  years,  being  found  too  small  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  inhabitants  and  too  inelegant  for 
their  taste,  they  voted,  January  26,  1713,  to  build  a 
new  one;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  two  following  sea- 
sons, the  second  house  of  public  worship  was  erected 
and  completed.  Religious  services  were  performed  in 
it,  the  first  time,  October  17,  1714. 

The  records  of  the  town  afford  evidence  of  the  faith- 
ful exertions  of  our  ancestors  to  discountenance  idle- 
ness and  vice,  and  to  maintain  a  respectful  observance 
of  divine  institutions.  In  December,  1728,  the  select- 
men summoned  a  person  to  appear  before  them  and 
"answer  to  a  complaint,  they  being  informed  that  he 
loitered  about,  and  spent  his  time  idly,  and  behaved 
himself  very  disorderly;"  and  committees  were  repeat- 
edly appointed  to  'take  prudent  care  that  children  and 
youth  be  restrained  from  irregular  conduct  in  time  of 
public  worship,  and  to  prevent  the  profanation  of  the 
Sabbath.' 

In  1734,  a  thousand  acres  of  land  were  granted  the 
town  by  the  General  Court,  to  assist  in  defraying  its 
proportion  of  the  expense  of  supporting  the  bridge  over 


13 

Charles  river  in  Cambridge.  Portions  of  tliis  land 
were  annually  leased,  till  it  was  sold  in  1757.  The 
proceeds  of  the  sale  afforded  the  town  a  considerable 
income  for  several  years;  but  were  finally  lost  in  con- 
sequence of  the  depreciation  of  paper  money.* 

In  November,  1733,  Mr.  Ebenezer  Hancock  was 
invited  to  settle  in  this  place,  as  colleague  with  his  fa- 
ther. After  completing  his  collegiate  studies  in  1728, 
he  took  the  charge  of  a  school  in  town,  in  which  em- 
ployment he  continued  till  nearly  three  years  after  his 
ordination.  His  distinguished  talents  and  virtues  se- 
cured him  the  high  esteem  and  ardent  affection  of  the 
people.  The  advantages  they  hoped  to  derive  from 
his  pastoral  labors  among  them  disposed  them  cheer- 
fully to  undertake  the  additional  expense  of  his  sup- 
port, when  the  annual  demands  upon  them  already 
were  a  burden  which  they  seemed  hardly  able  to  bear. 
He  was  pressed  "with  repeated  earnestness  to  a  settle- 
ment  elsewhere;"  but  "the  advice  and  counsel  of  men 
of  judgment  and  letters,"  his  desire  to  ease  the  task 
of  a  beloved  father  in  the  eveniog  of  his  life,  his  at- 
tachments to  the  people  with  whom  he  had  spent  the 
first  of  his  years,  and  his  belief  that  this  was  the  place 
which  God  had  pointed  out  for  his  ministerial  labors, 
induced  him  to  accept  proposals  for  a  settlement  here. 
He  was  ordained,  January  2,  1734. t 

*  One  of  the  propositions  made  by  Cunnbriclg'e  to  tlie  inhabitants  of 
this  town,  in  1713,  and  to  which  they  agreed,  as  a  conditi(jn  ofsepMia- 
tion,  was  the  following-,  viz.  **The  farmers,  upon  their  beinj^  dismissed 
from  the  town,  shall  annually  pay  to  our  town  treasurer  such  a  proportion 
of  our  part  of  the  charge  of  the  great  bridge  over  Charles  river  ii.  Cam- 
bridge, as  shall  fall  to  ihcm  according  to  their  annual  pn^poriif.n  with  us 
in  the  pnnincc  tax."  The  land  granted  the  town  to  assist  in  defraying 
this  expense,  lay  in  Dorchester-Canada,  now  Ashburnl.am. 

t  His  father  preached  and  gave  the  charge.  The  llcv.  Mr.  Wllliani:-: 
pf  Weston  expressed  the  fellowbhip  of  the  churches. 


14 

Mr.  E  Hancock  entered  upon  his  ministerial  labors 
with  bright  and  encouraging  prospects.  The  Holy 
Ghost  had  made  him  an  overseer  of  a  flock  which  he 
tenderly  loved,  and  whose  confidence  he  enjoyed. 
The  church  was  large  and  respectable,  and  religion 

was  in  a  flourishing  state But,  alas!  he  was  not  sitf- 

fered  to  continue  by  reason  0/  death.  Having  served 
as  a  son  with  his  father  in  the  gospel  only  about  six 
years,  he  died  suddenly,  January  28, 1740,  in  the  thir- 
tieth year  of  his  age. — He  was  highly  esteemed  as  a 
scholar,  a  man  of  eminent  piety,  and  an  able  and 
faithful  minister  of  Christ.  He  was  an  example  of  the 
believers  in  word,  in  conversatioji,  in  charity^  in  spirit, 
in  faith,  in  purity.  His  praise  was  in  all  the  churches, 
and  he  ''died  greatly  and  universally  lamented." 

After  his  death,  his  venerable  father,  though  far  ad- 
vanced in  life,  and  visited  with  affliction  upon  afflic- 
tion,* continued  to  perform  the  duties  of  his  office 
nearly  thirteen  years.  "Instead  of  sinking  in  the  day 
of  adversity,  or  having  his  gray  hairs  brought  with 
sorrow  to  tlie  grave,  his  spirit  revived,  his  health  re- 
turned, and  his  strength  was  so  far  confirm.ed,  that  he 
carried  on  the  work  of  the  ministry  with  as  much  or 
more  zeal  and  fervency  of  spirit  than  ever.^'t  His  peo^ 
pie  were  attentive  to  his  necessities,  gave  him  comfort 
by  manifesting  an  increasing  love  and  tenderness  to 
him,  and  encouraged  his  heart  by  faithfully  attending 
his  ministrations. 

But  the  time  of  his  departure  at  length  came.  He 
preached  with  uncommon  fervor  the  sabbath  previous 

•  His  eldest  son,  the  Rev,  John  Hancock  of  Braintree,  "avery  eleg^ar^t 
and  acconiplislied  preaclier,"  died  in  1744, 
I  Dr.  Appletqn's  discourses  on  his  death. 


15 


to  his  decease/  and  enjoyed  his  usual  health  till  tlie 
night  after  Tuesday,  the  tifth  of  December,  1 753,  when 
he^'was  awoke  from  sleep  by  pains,  from  which  he 
was  soon  relieved  by  the  sleep  of  death.  He  died  in 
the  eighty  second  year  of  his  age,  and  fiUy  fourth  ot 

his  ministry. 

TheUev.  John  Hancock  was  possessed,  m  an  unu- 
sual degree,  of  qualifications  which  fitted  him  for  the 
station  in  which  he  was  placed.     The  great  Fatlier  of 
spirits  formed  him  for  the  people  of  this  town.     He 
was  genile  among  ihem,  even  as  a  nurse  clierisheth  her 
children;  and  being  affectionafelij  desirous  ofihem.was 
njoillhig  to  have  imparted  to  them,  not  the  gospel  of  God 
onlii  but  also  his  own  soul,  because  tlieij  were  dear  to 
him.     "I  have  studied,"  said  he  in  one  of  his  addresses 
to  them,  ''that  I  might  not  be   burdensiuiie  to  you. 
You  know  how  these  hands  of  mine  have  miiHstered 
unto  my  necessities,  and  how  Ihave  borne  the  burden 
with  you  in  the  day  of  your  small  things  "     His  nat- 
ural capacities,    acquired  accomplishments,  and  gra- 
cious endowments,  not  only  made  him  a  pleasaiit  com- 
panion, but  gained  him  a  general  esteem  and  respect, 
and  rendered  him  eminently  and  extensively  useful  in 
a  great  variety  of  ways.     He  was  a  lover  of  peace, 
an'd  peculiarly  calculated  to  heal  existing  contentions 
and   prevent  discords  and  animosities.     His  facetious 
temper  and  ready  wit  enabled  him  often  to  scatter  the 
clouds  of  melancholy  that  hung  upon  people's  spirits, 
and  excite  a  pleasant  cheerfulness;  and  his  miid  and 
gentle  counsels  and  reproofs  frequently  had  the  effect 
of  softening  the  tempers  and  correcting  the  ill  huniors 
of  men.     He  had  an  uncommon  vivacity  of  spirit. 


•Jlis  texts  were,  Luke  2,  49.  and  Rom.  5, 


12. 


16 

He  was  hospitable,  cheerful,  active,  diligent,  and  ready 
to  every  good  work.  He  was  early  in  the  morning 
and  early  in  the  week  at  his  studies  and  in  his  prep- 
arations for  the  sabbath.  By  the  sound  doctrines,  the 
wise  counsels,  and  the  moving  exhortations  with 
which  he  entertained  his  hearers,  he  made  it  appear 
that  he  gave  attention  to  reading  and  meditation  and 
was  a  scribe  well  instructed  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
He  was  an  able  and  zealous  advocate  of  the  distin- 
guishing doctrines  of  Christianity.  His  preaching  was 
such  as  is  calculated  to  alarm  the  impenitent,  to  make 
sinners  in  Zion  afraid,  to  guide  inquiring  souls  to 
Christ,  and  to  encourage  saints  to  be  followers  of  them 
who  through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises. 
The  usefulness  of  Mr.  Hancock  was  not  confined 
to  the  church  and  people  in  this  place.  He  was  much 
resorted  to  for  counsel  and  assistance^  so  that  the  care 
of  neighboring  churches  in  a  manner  came  upon 
him.*  Wherever  he  was  known,  he  was  respected 
and  loved  by  the  people  of  God  for  his  learning,  his 
wisdom,  his  piety,  and  his  fidelity  in  the  cause  of 
Christ,  t 

*  For  more  than  30  years,  he  was  the  senior  minister  in  this  ptirt  of 
the  counlry.  On  account  of  his  age  and  gravity  he  was  long  honored 
with  the  trile  of  Bishop.  He  gave  the  solemn  charge  to  twenty  one  min- 
isters, th.e  last  of  which  was  the  late  Dr.  Gushing  of  Waltham. 

I  The  above  remarks  upon  the  character  of  Mr.  Hancock  are  principal- 
ly compiled  from  one  of  the  sermons  preached  the  sabbath  afierhis  fune- 
ral by  Dr.  Appleton  of  Cambridge. His  printed  discourses  are, 

1.  A  sermon  at  the  General  Election,  1722,  Luke  22,  25. 

2.  A  sermon  at  the  ordination  of  his  son  in  Braintree,  17v(^.  Luke  24,  49. 
S.  A  sermon  at  the  ordination  of  his  son  in  Lexington,  1734.  2  Cor  1.  24. 

4.  A  sermon  at  the  public  lecture  in  Boston,  November  21,  1754,  before 
his  Excellency  the  Governor  and  the  General  Court.  Jer.  5,  5. 

5.  A  sermon  at  the  installation   of  the  Pvev.  Timothy  Harrington   in 
Lancaster,  November  16,  1743.  1  Cor.  9,  19, 


17 

During  his  ministry,  445  were  added  to  the  church 
by  profession,  and  32  by  letter;  180  owned  the  cov- 
enant, and  1637  were  baptized. 

After  his  death,  several  gentlemen  were  employed 
as  candidates  for  settlement.  April  25,  1754,  was  ob- 
served as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  preparatory  tc 
the  choice  of  a  minister.  In  June  following,  Mr.  Aa- 
ron Putnam  received  an  invitation  to  settle  here;  but, 
in  consequence  of  opposition  to  his  settlement,  gave  a 
negative  answer. 

In  July,  1755,  my  worthy  predecessor,  the  Rev. 
Jonas  Clark,  was  called  to  the  pastoral  office  in  this 
place,  and  was  ordained  on  the  fifth  of  the  ensuing 
November.* — Between  the  death  of  Mr.  Hancock 
and  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Clark,  six  were  admitted  to 
the  church  by  letters  of  dismission  from  other  churches; 
four  owned  the  covenant,  and  fifty  six  were  baptized. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  town  early  manifested  a  firm 
and  spirited  attachment  to  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
country.  In  October,  1765,  they  publicly  expressed 
their  apprehension  of  the  dangers  which  threatened  the 
colonies,  and  particularly  their  opposition  to  the  noted 
Stamp  Act.  In  December,  1767,  they  ''unanimously 
voted  to  concur  with  the  town  of  Boston  in  their  re- 
solves respecting  importing  and  using  foreign  com- 
modities.'' Sensible  of  the  importance  of  seeking  di- 
vine direction  in  times  of  public  difficulty  and  distress, 
they  set  apart  a  day  for  public  fasting  and  prayer,  in 
the  autumn  of  1768,  on  account  of  the  alarming  sit- 

•  Mr.  Clark  was  a  native  of  Newton.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege, 1752.  At  his  ordination,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lawrence  of  Lincoln  made 
the  iniroductory  prayer;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Appleton  of  Cambridge  preached; 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Cotton  of  Newton  gave  the  charge;  and  the  Rev,  Mr- 
Cook  of  Cambridge,  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

3 


18 

ttation  of  the  country.  In  December,  1772,  a  coni- 
mittee  was  appointed  to  correspond  with  committees 
of  other  towns  "on  matters  of  common  concern;"  and 
at  the  same  time,  the  town  instructed  their  representa- 
tive "in  the  great  Court  of  Inquest  for  the  prov- 
ince," to  ^use  his  utmost  influence  that  all  mat- 
ters, in  which  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  people 
were  concerned,  might  be  impartially  inquired  into, 
and  dispassionately  considered  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly; and  that  measures  be  pursued,  by  petition  to  the 
throne,  or  otherwise,  as  the  Court  in  their  wisdom 
should  see  fit,  for  a  radical  and  lasting  redress  of  griev- 
ances; that,  whether  successful  or  not,  succeeding  gen- 
erations might  know  that  they  understood  their  rights 
and  liberties,  and  were  neither  afraid  nor  ashamed  to 
maintain  them;  and  also  that  they  might  have  this 
consolation,  at  least,  in  their  chains,  that  it  was  not 
through  their  neglect  that  the  people  were  enslaved/ 
In  December,  1773,  resolves  were  passed  prohibiting 
the  use  of  teas,  imported  by  the  East- India  company 
and  expressing  the  readiness  and  determination  of  the 
people  to  concur  with  their  brethren  in  Boston  and 
other  towns  in  every  rational  measure  that  might  be 
necessary  for  the  recovery  and  preservation  of  their 
rights  and  liberties,— It  is  but  iust  to  observe  that, 
from  tlie  commencement  of  the  contest  between  this 
country  and  Great  Britain  to  the  close  of  the  revolu- 
ution,  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  manifested  a  spirit 
worthy  of  freemen. 

It  was  here,  and  but  a  few  rods  from  the  place  in 
which  we  are  now  assembled,  that  the  first  sacrifice  of 
lives,  in  defence  of  our  country's  rights,  was  made. 
Yonder  monument  revives  a  lively  recollection  of  the 
alarms,  anxieties,  and  distresses  of  the  day,  which  open- 


19 

ed  a  long  protracted  scene  of  bloodshed  and  war  in  the 
land.— The  mournful  catastrophe  of  the  NiNi:'rEi:NTH 
of  April,  1775,  is  fiesh  in  the  memory  of  many  of  my 
hearers.     You  beheld  the  slaughter  of  your  inoffend- 
ing  fellow-citizens  and  friends.      You  heard  the  cries 
of  the  wounded  and  the  dying.     You  saw  your  dwel- 
lings forsaken,  plundered,  and  threatened  with  devour- 
ing  flames.     You  beheld  and  shared  in  the  calamities 
of  that  gloomy  day.— Ten  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
town  were  slain,  and  ten  wounded  by  the  British 
troops;    five  buildings  were  destroyed  by  fire;    and 
cloathing,  furniture,  and  provisions  and  goods  of  vari- 
ous description,  to  a  large  amount  were  pillaged  and 

wasted.* 

The  nineteenth  of  April  was  "statedly  observed^'  in 
this  place,  during  the  war,  ''by  a  respectable  appear- 
ance of  the  militia  in  arms,  and  a  solemn  assembly  of 
the  whole  congregation  in  the  house  of  God,  to  drop 
a  tear  upon  the  graves,  and  mourn  over  the  ashes  ot 
their  slaughtered  friends;  religiously  to  notice  and  ac- 
knowledge the  hand  of  God;  humbly  to  express  their 
confidence  in  him,  as  the  righteous   and  powerful 

♦  Aparlicular  account  of  the  interesting  events  of  this  day  was  pub- 
lished in  an  appendix  to  the  Rev. Mr. Clark's  sermon,  delivered  April  19, 
1776.     General  statements  of  the  same  facts  may  be  found  in  tlie  histo- 
ries of  the  revolution.      Referring  my  readers  to  these  sources  of  infor. 
mation,  I  shall  only  add  here  the  following  list  of  sufferers  in  Lexington. 
The  persons  killed  in  the  morning  were,  Robert  Munroe,  Jonas  Parker, 
Samuel  Hadley,  Jonathan  Harrington,  jun.  Isaac  Muzzy,  Caleb  Hariing- 
ton,  and  John  Brown;    wounded,  Jedediah  Munroe,    Thomas    Winship, 
Nathaniel   Farmer,  John   Robbins,  Solomon   Pierce,  John  Tidd,  Joseph 
Comee,  Ebenezer  Munroe,  jun.  and  Prince,  a  negro.       In  the  afiernoon, 
as  the    British  troops  were  returning  from    Concord,  Jedediah  Munroe, 
.    John  Raymond,  and  Nathaniel  Wyman  were  killed;   Francis  Biown  was 
wounded.      The  buildings   destroyed  by  fire  were,  a  house  and  barn  of 
Deacon  Loring,  a  house  of   Mr.   Joshua  Bond,  a  house  of  Mrg.  Ljclis 
MuUiken,  and  a  shop  of  Mr.  Nathaniel  MulUken, 


20 

avenger  of  injured  innocence;  and  devoutly  to  implore 
his  presence  and  aid  in  the  cause  of  their  country,  of 
posterity,  and  mankind."* 

In  1776,  a  large  addition  was  made  to  the  funded 
property  of  the  town  by  the  sale  of  wood  on  the  min- 
isterial land  for  the  use  of  the  continental  troops  then 
stationed  at  Cambridge.  The  foundation  of  this  fund, 
as  I  have  before  observed,  was  laid  by  the  purchase 
of  this  land  in  1693.  From  the  time  of  the  purchase, 
it  afforded  the  town  a  gradually  increasing  income. 
At  what  period  a  permanent  fund  was  established,  I 
have  not  been  able  to  ascertain;  but  it  was  not  till  the 
year  1781,  that  the  annual  interest  and  the  income 
from  the  land  were  appropriated  particularly  to  the 
support  of  the  ministry.  A  large  proportion  of  what 
now  constitutes  the  principal  of  the  fund  has  been  ob- 
tained by  sales  of  timber  and  fuel  in  the  course  of  forty 
years  past.t  The  judicious  management  of  these  sales 
and  of  the  proceeds  of  them,  entitles  the  gentlemen, 
who  have  compi  sed  the  committees  appointed  for  the 
purpose,  to  the  gratitude  of  the  town.  It  is,  in  no 
small  degree,  owing  to  their  fidelity  and  economy,  that 
the  people  have  not  been  incumbered  with  a  ministerial 
tax  for  mure  than  fifteen  years.  ^ 

•    Appendix    to     Rev.   Mr.   Adams's   sermon. ..The    ministers     whft 
officiated  on  these  occasions  were. 

In  irre.  Rev.  Jonas  Clark,  of  this  town...  Joel  lii.  19,  20,  21. 

■—  1777,  Rev.  Samuel  Cooke  of  C.imbridge-., Exodus  xvii,  14,15,  16. 

—  1778,  Rev.  Jacob  Gushing"  of  Waltham....Deut.  xxxii,  4S. 

—  1779,  Rev.  Samuel  Woodward  of  Weston....!  Sam   vii,  12. 

—  1780,  Rev.  Isaac  Morrill  of  Wilmington.... Psalm  xxvii,  13,  14. 

—  1781,  Rev.  Henry  Cummings  of  Billerica... Psalm  Ixxvi,  10. 
•^  1782,  Rev  Phillips  Payson  of  Chelsea  ..Exodus  xii,  14, 

—  1733,  Rev.  Zahdicl  /\dams  of  Lunenburgh....Gen.  1,  20. 

t  An  addition  of  about  2->0Q  dollars,  the  amount  of  what  the  pews  in  ih* 
m^Qting  hous^  sold  for  above  the  cost  of  the  house,  was  made  in  1795* 


In  1784,  the  house,  now  improved  by  the  town  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  poor,  was  built. 

The  people  of  this  town  were  firm  and  resolute  in 
opposition  to  the  rebellious  spirit  which  confused  the 
state  in  1786.  In  an  address  to  the  town  of  Boston, 
they  observed,  "we  feel  ourselves,  equally  with  you, 
interested  and  affected  in  the  commotions  and  disor- 
ders that  have  taken  place  in  the  Commonwealth,  to 
the  weakening  of  constitutional  government,  the  ob- 
struction of  a  due  administration  of  justice,  and  pre- 
venting the  course  of  the  laws  of  the  land;  and  while 
we  stand  ready  to  every  exertion,  which  wisdom 
may  dictate,  for  obtaining  a  redress  of  any  grievances 
under  which  we  or  our  fellow  citizens  may  groan,  you 
may  rest  assured  that  nothing  on  our  part  shall  be 
wanting,  for  the  confirmation  and  establishment  of  the 
social  compact,  the  support  of  the  honor,  dignity,  and 
authority  of  constitutional  government  and  the  execu- 
tion of  the  laws  of  the  land." 

The  house,  in  which  we  are  now  assembled,  was 
built  in  1794.*  The  service  of  dedication  was  per- 
formed  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clark,  January  15,  1795. — 
May  the  sacred  edifice  long  stand,  a  house  of  habita- 
tion for  God,  a  temple  filled  from  sabbath  to  sabbath 
wnth  solemn  worshippers. 

In  1799,  the  monument,  which  bears  the  names,  of 
those  who  were  slain  on  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth 
of  April,  1775,  was  erected  "by  the  inhabitants  of  this 

*  It  stands  20  feet  back  of  the  ground  covered  by  the  former  one 
The  house,  which  was  built  in  1691,  stood  not  far  from  ilio  sam^i 
place» 


town,  under  the  patronage  and  at  the  expense  of  the 
Commonwealth."* 

On  the  fifteenth  of  November,  1805,  the  church  and 
society  were  again  deprived  of  a  pastor. — The  Rev. 
Jonas  Clark  lived  to  enter  upon  the  fifty-first  year  of 
his  ministry,  and  to  complete  nearly  the  seventy -fifth 
of  his  age.  To  a  large  proportion  of  my  hearers  he 
was  endeared  by  an  intimate  acquaintance  and  many 
labors  of  love.  He  was  with  you  in  seasons  of  pros- 
perity and  joy,  and  in  times  of  peril  and  distress.  You 

•  On  the  monument  is  the  following  inscription; 

Sacred  to  Liberty  and  the  Rights  of  Mankind!!! 
The  Freedom  and  Independence  of  America, 
Sealed  and  defended  by  the  Blood  of  her  Sons, 
This  monument  is  erected 
By  the  Inhabitants  of  Lexington, 
Under  the  Patronage  and  at  the  Expense  of 
The  Commonwealth  of   Massachusetts, 
To  the  Memory  of  their  Fellow-Citizens, 
Ensign  Robert  MunroCt  and  Messrs.  yonas  Parker, 

Samuel  Hadley,  Jonathan  Harrington,  jun. 
Issac  Muzzy,  Caleb  Harrington,  and  yohn  Brovtn 

Of  Lexington,  and  Ashael  Porter  of  Woburn, 

Who  felU   on  this    Field,  the  first  Victims  to  the 

Sword  of  British  Tyranny  and  Oppression, 

On  the  Morning  of  the  ever    Memorable 

Nine  FEENTH  of  April  An.  Dom.  \775' 

The  Die  was  cast!!! 

The  blood  of  these  Martyrs 

Was  the  Cement  of  the  Union  of  these  States,  then 

Colonies;  and  gave  the  Spring  to  the  Spirit,  Firmness, 

And  Resolution  of  their  Fellow-citizens. 

They  rose  as  one  Man  to  revenge  their  Brethren's 

Blood,  and  ai  the  Point  of  the  Sword  to  assert  and 

Defend  their  native  Rights. 

They  nobly  dar'd  to  be  free!! 

The  contest  was  long,  bloody,  and  affecting. 

Righteous  Heaven  approved  the  solemn  Appeal, 

Victory  crowned  their  arms:  and 

The  Peace,  Liberty,  and  Independence  of  the  Uniteb 

States  of  America,  was  their  Glorious  Rewaro« 


23 

Kcell  knew  his  manner  ofUfe^fulih,  charity,  patience, 
and  afflictions.  Yoa  remember  with  what  serious- 
ness  and  ardor  he  engaged  in  the  services  of  religion; 
how  instructive  and  consoling  was  his  conversation  in 
the  chamber  of  sickness  and  tlie  house  of  mourning; 
how  appropriate,  solemn,  and  impressive  wgvc  his  ad- 
dresses to  the  throne  of  grace,  especially  on  unexpect- 
ed and  mournful  occasions;  with  what  wisdom  and 
prudence  he  sought  to  preserve  the  harmony  and  pro- 
mote the  temporal  and  spiritual  interests  of  the  peo- 
ple of  his  charge;  how  firm  and  inflexible  were  his  at- 
tachments to  his  country  in  ^'the  days  which  tried 
men's  souls;"  and  how  willing  he  was  to  spend  and 
be  spent  in  the  cause  of  Christ. — That  he  was  a  be- 
liever in  what  are  usually  denominated  the  doctrines 
of  grace,  and  that  he  was  deeply  sensible  of  the  im- 
portance of  a  zealous  and  persevering  defence  of  these 
doctrines,  they  who  enjoyed  his  ministry  can  testify 
and  his  printed  discourses  afford  ample  evidence. 
In  the  following  solemn  and  impressive  language  he 
described  the  necessity  of  ministerial  fidelity.  '-To  be 
influenced  by  the  fear,  or  flattery  of  men;  to  truckle 
to  the  humors  of  the  vicious  or  depraved;  to  shun  to 
declare  the  counsel  of  God  for  fear  of  offending,  or 
striking  at  the  darling  sins,  lusts,  or  appetites  of  men; 
to  deal  deceitfully  with  the  word  of  God,  out  of  regard 
to  favorites  or  friends;  or  to  cause  the  truth  of  Christ 
to  bow  to  the  preconceived  sentiments  of  fallible  mor- 
tals, is  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  dignity  of  the 
sacred  character,  and  altogether  unworthy  the  heav- 
enly trust  reposed  in  the  ministers  of  his  kingdom. 
And  should  venal  motives,  fondness  for  applause  or 
any  other  sordid  desire,  influence  any  to  aim  at  pleas- 


24 

ing  men  rather  than  God,  so  far  the  end  of  the  minis- 
try is  subverted,  God  dishonored,  and  the  religion  of 
Christ  exposed  to  the  malice  and  power  of  its  bitterest 
enemies.  And  as  to  wretches  in  office,  who  are 
chargeable  with  such  conduct  as  this,  it  is  easy  to  see, 
that  of  all  men,  they  are  most  justly  exposed  to  the 
severest  resentments  of  an  angry  God  and  the 
hottest  thunderbolts  of  divine  vengeance,  for  meanly 
betraying  the  very  cause,  which,  by  every  sacred  and 
endearing  tie,  they  were  so  solemnly  engaged  to 
defend."* 

Had  1  been  favored  with  a  personal  acquaintance 
w^ith  my  highly  respected  predecessor,  I  should  feel 
more  competent  than  I  now  do  to  a  just  delineation 
of  his  character.  As  I  had  not  that  privilege,  I  shall 
only  subjoin  the  following  observations  of  that  vener- 
able servant  of  Christ,t  who  addressed  you  from  this 
place  at  his  funeral.  ''Our  deceased  brother,"  said  he, 
"believed  in  the  fulness  of  that  redemption  which  is  in 
Christ,  and  depended  on  him  for  sanctification,  as  well 
as  for  righteousness  to  justification,  being  equally  con- 
cerned for  both,  convinced  of  the  necessity  and  beauty 
of  holiness,  and  desirous  to  glorify  God  in  a  holy  obe- 
dience. He  honored  his  Master,  delighted  in  his  work, 
and  had  a  love  for  precious  souls.  His  good  natural 
parts,  his  attainments  in  human  literature,  and  his 
spiritual  gifts  were  a  rich  furniture  for  his  ministerial 
office,  and  made  him  a  workman  that  needed  not  to 
be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  oj  truth.  He 
was  a  pattern  of  patience  and  resignation  under  his 

*  Sermon  at  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Muzzy,  p.  17. 
j  The  Rev,  Dr.  Gushing  of  Waltham. 


25 

many  domestic  afflictions  and  painful  trials  in  the 
course  of  his  ministry.  Through  all  the  enfeebling  in- 
fluence of  his  bodily  diseases,  he  behaved  with  exem- 
plary composure  of  spirit,  and  with  resignation  to  the 
will  of  God.  He  was  not  insensible  of  the  hand  of 
God  upon  him,  or  of  his  own  weakness  and  want  of 
help  from  above;  and  while  he  found  himself  incapa- 
ble of  his  Master's  work,  his  heart  continued  in  it,  and 
quietly  waited  the  events  of  Providence.  For  several 
of  his  last  days,  he  was,  by  reason  of  an  additional  dis- 
order, unable  to  discourse,  perhaps  incapable  of  reflec- 
tion; but  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty,  who  is 
just  and  holy  in  all  his  ways  and  w^orks."* 

In  the  time  of  his  ministry,  the  admissions  to  the 
church  were,  by  profession,  387,  and  by  letter,  ten; 
69  owned  the  covenant,  and  1040  were  baptized. 

In  May,  1807,  Mr.  Henry  Colman,  now  pastor  of 
a  church  in  Hingham,  received  an  invitation,  which  he 
declined  accepting,  to  settle  in  this  town. 

*  Mr.  Clark's  publications  are, 

1.  A  sermon  preached  to  a  reViglous  society  of  young  men  in  Lcxmg- 
ton,  ir61— Prov.  i,  9. 

2.  A  sermon  at  the  ordination  of  the  Rev.  Josiah  Bridge  in  E.  Sudbury, 
1761 — Luke  x,  3  and  16. 

3.  A  sermon  at  the  Artillery  Election,  1768—2  Chron.  xvii,  16. 

4.  A  sermon  on  the  use  and  excellence  of  vocal  music  in  public  wor- 
ship, preached  at  an  occasional  lecture  in  Lexington,  1770— Psalm 

xlvii,  6,  7. 

5.  A  sermon,  delivered  April  19,  1776,  with  an  appendix  containmg  a 
narrative  of  the  events  of  April  19,  1775. 

6.  A  sermon  at  the  General  Election,  1781— Psalm  xlvii,  8,  9. 

7.  A  sermon  at  the  ordination  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Estabrook  in  Athol, 
1787— Jer.  iii,  15.  , 

8.  A  sermon  at  the  ordination  of  th«  Rev.  William  Muzzy  m  Sullivan, 

N.  H,  1798—1  Thess,  ii,  4. 


26 

On  the  fourth  sabbath  in  August,  1807,  your  pres-' 
ent  pastor  first  addressed  you  from  this  desk.  On  the 
twelfth  of  the  succeeding  October,  I  received  your 
unanimous  call  to  take  the  oversight  ot  you  in  the 
Lord;  and  on  the  thirtieth  of  December,  was  solemnly 
consecrated  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  among  you.* 
I  have  reason  to  acknowledge  with  gratitude  the  kind- 
ness you  have  manifested  to  me  and  my  famil}^  My 
heart's  desire  has  been  to  preach  to  you  the  truth  a.v  it 
is  in  Jesus,  to  declare  all  the  counsel  of  God,  and  to 
be  instrumental  of  guiding  you  to  the  Shepherd  and 
Bishop  of  souls;  and  my  hands  have  been  strengthen- 
ed and  heart  encouraged  by  finding,  as  I  trust  1  have 
found  in  some  instances,  that  I  have  not  labored  in 
vain,  or  spent  my  strength  for  naught.  It  is  my 
prayer  to  the  Father  of  mercies  and  God  of  all  grace, 
that  I  may  discharge  the  duties  of  my  office  with  in- 
creasing fidelity,  and  that  you  may  feel  and  manifest 
the  power  and  spirit  of  the  Gospel. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Clark  and  previous  to  my 
settlement,  four  were  added  to  the  church,  two  owned 
the  covenant,  and  eleven  were  baptized.  Since  my 
ordination,  the  admissions  to  the  church  have  been 
thirty-seven;  the  baptisms  seventy-five;  two  have  own- 
ed the  covenant,  and  seventy- five  have  been  removed 
by  death. 

It  is  now  116  years  and  about  five  months  since  a 
church  w^as  gathered  in  this  place.     In  this  period, 

•  On  this  occasion,  the  Rev,  Samuel  Gile  of  Milton  made  the  introduc- 
tory prayer,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kendal  of  Weston  preached  from  '  iius  i,  9; 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Marrett  of  Burlington  made  the  consecrating  prayer;  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Cusliing-  of  Wallham  gave  the  charge;  llie  Rev.  Mr.  Fiske 
«f  West  Cambridge  gave  the  right  hand  of  fellowship;  and  the  Rev.  Dr, 
Stearns  of  Lincoln  made  the  concluding  prayer. 


27 

seventeen  deacons  have  been  chosen  and  have  offjriul- 
ed;*  954,  includino  those  who  were  en":a2red  in  formiiiir 
it,  have  been  admitted  to  the  fellowship  of  the  church; 
257  have  owned  the  covenant;  and  2819  have  been 
baptized — In  tlie  century,  which  is  now  closing,  the 
admissions  to  the  church  have  been  833;  admissions 
to  the  baptismal  covenant  200;  baptisms  2410;  and 
deaths  1446. 

Laudable  attention  has  been  paid  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  town  to  the  education  of  their  youth. 
They  have  generally  been  careful  to  employ  and 
have  made  liberal  provision  for  the  support  of  able 
instructors.  Though  for  several  years,  in  latter  times, 
unpleasant  contests  existed  concerning  the  division  of 
districts,  at  present  harmony  prevails,  and  the  arrange- 
ments for  schooling  are  such  as  to  afford  the  rising 
generation,  good  advantages  to  become  prepared  for 
usefulness  and  respectability  in  Society.  Since  the 
incorporation  of  the  town,  thirty  one  young  gentle- 
men,  who  were  natives  of  the  town,  or  whose  parents 

•  John  Meriam,  chosen  in  1696;  died  in  1727, 

Samuel  Stone, 1696;  1703. 

Samuel  Stone,  jun. 17 '5,  1732. 

Joseph  Estabrook,  — —  1?16;  •  <  ,     .  1733. 

Joseph   Brown, 1727;  1764. 

John  Laugli'on, 17  53;  dismissed  to  Harvard  cUh.l7'34i- 

Joseph  Estabrook,  — —  1?33;  died  in  1740. 

John  Stone, 1743;  1762, 

Joseph  Loring, 174  >;  1746. 

James  Brown,  -— — 1756;  1768. 

Joseph  Loring- 17j6;  1787. 

Jonas  Stone, 1766;  179.0. 

Benjamin  Brown,  — —  1768;  .  .  1802>i 

John  Bridge, 1787;  l^'Q^. 

Nathan   Reed, 17vS7;     resigned,  1808;  died,      18:- 1 

James  Brown, 1808. 

Isaac  Hastings, 1808. 


£8 

resided  here  while  they  were  members  of  college, 
have  been  favored  with  the  privileges  of  a  public  edu- 
cation. Nineteen  of  these  have  been  preachers,  and 
seventeen  ordained  ministers.* 


•  John  Hancock,  A.  M.  graduated  1719;  was  ordained  over  the  north 
church  in  Braintree,  Nov.  2,  1726;  died  May  7,  1744,  M.  41. 

Jonathan  Bowman,  A.  M.  grad,  1724;  was  ordained  at  Dorchester, 
Nov.  5,  1729;  died,  May  30, 1775. 

Ebenezer  Hancock,  A.  M.  grad.  1728;  was  ordained  colleague  with 
his  father  in  this  town,  Jan,  g,  1734;  died,  Jan.  28, 1740,  iE.  29. 

Edmund  Bowman,  A.  M.  grad.  1728;  was  a  merchant  in  Portsmouth, 
N.  H. 

Thaddeus  Mason,  A.  M.  grad.  1728;  was  many  years  clerk  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  Middlesex;  died.  May  1,  1802;  M,  96, 

Philemon  Robbins,  A.  M,  grad.  17S9;  was  ordained  at  Branford,    Con, 

Josiah  Brown,  A.  M.  grad.  1735;  was  a  preacher;  died  at  Lancaster, 
March  4,  1774,  JE.  59. 

Matthew  Bridge,  A.  M.  grad.  1741;  was  ordained  at  Framingham, 
February  19,  1746;  died,  September  3,  1775,  M.  55. 

Nathaniel  Trask,  A.  M.  grad.  1742;  was  ordained  at  Epping,  N.  H.-— 
died  in  1789,  JE.  67. 

Nathaniel  Robbins,  A.  M.  grad  1747;  was  ordained  at  Milton,  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1751;  died  May,  19,  1795,  JE.  69. 

Jonas  Meriam,  A.M.  grad.  1753;  was  ordained  at  Newton,  March 
22,  1758;  died,  Aug.  13.  1780,  JE,   50. 

Josiah  Bridge,  A.  M.  grad.  1758;  was  ordained  at  East  Sudbury, 
November 4,  1761;  died  June  19,  1801,  JE.  62. 

SamuelFiske,A.M.  grad.  1759;  was  an  episcopal  minister  in — Carolina. 

Micah  Lawrence,  A.  M.  grad?  1759;  was  ordained  at  Winchester,  N  . 
H,  November  14,  1764;  died  January  1794,  JE.  55- 

Ephraim  Woolson,  A.  B.  grad.  1760;  was  a  physician  in  Hanover,  N, 
H;  died,  Jan.— 1S02,  JE.  61. 

Joseph  Brown,  A.  .M.  grad.  1763;  was  ordained  at  Winchendon,  May 
.24,  1769;  died,— 181L 

Amos  Winship,  A.  M.  M.  B.  grad  1771. 

Benjamin  Muzzy,  A.  B.  grad.  1774;  sailed  from  Boston,  Sept.  1777, 
in  the  privateer.  Hero  Revenge,  as  chaplain,  and  was  lost  at  sea, 

Isaac  Reed,  A.  M.  grad.  1780;  was  a  merchant  in  Littleton;  died, 
Dec.  5,  1789,  JE,  35. 

Ebenezer  Bowman,  A.  M.  grad,  1782;  attorney  at  law  in  Wilksbarre, 
Penn. 

Joseph  Estabrook,  A.  M.  grad.  1782;  was  ordained  at  Athol,  Novem- 
ber 21,  1787. 


It  would  be  inexcuseable  to  pass  in  silenrr  those 
who  have  manifested  their  attachments  to  tic  church 
and  town  and  their  desires  to  promote  the  interests  of 
virtue  and  religion  by  generous  donations.  The  com- 
munion table  has  been  richly  furnished  by  the  liberal- 
ity of  individuals.*  In  1700,  a  bell  was  given  the 
parish   by   the   town   of  Cambridge.     In  1731,  the 

Nathan  Underwood,  A.  M.  grad-  1788;  was  ordained  at  Harwich, 
November  21,  1792. 

Samuel  Chandler,  A.  M.  grad.  1790;  was  ordained  at  Eliot,  N.  H. 
Oct.  27,  1792. 

Joseph  Dennie,  A.  B.  grad.  1790;  instituted  and  edited  the  Port  Folio, 
a  literary  publication  of  high  merit,  in  Philadelphia;  died,  Jan.  7,  1812. 

Daniel  Marrett.  A.  M.  grad.  1790;  was  ordained  at  Standish,  D.  M. 
Sept.  21,  1796. 

William  Muzzy,  A.  B.  grad.  1793,  was  ordained  at  Sullivan,  N.  H. 
Feb.  7,  1798. 

Abiel  Chandler,  A.  B.  grad.  1798;  died,  Feb.  11,  1799. 

Phinehas  Adams,  A.  B,  grad.  1801. 

Elias  Phinney,  A.  M.  grad.  1801;  attorney  at  law  in  Charlestown. 

Timothy  Willington,  A.M.  M.  B.  grad.  1806;  ph}sician  in  West 
Cambridge. 

Oliver  Danforth,  A.  B.  grad.  at  Williams  College,  1811. 

•  The  following  articles  of  plate  for  the  sacramental  service  have  been 
given  by  individuals; 

1  tankard  by  Mrs.  Rachel  Butterfield. 

1  cup  by  Deacon  Samuel  Stone, 1715 

1  .^— by  Mr.  William  Reed,  jun.             ....  1716 

1  — —  by  Mr.  Samuel  Haugh, 1727 

1 by  Messrs.  David  Fiske  and  Phillip  Russel,         -  1732 

1  — —  by  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hancock. 

1 by  Messrs-  Matthew  Bridge  and  Thomas  Meriam,  1745 

1  —  by  Capt.  Samuel  Stone, 1F52 

1 by  Joseph  Bowman,  Esq.             ...        -  1755 

1 by  Mr.  Nathaniel  Whittemore,    -         -         -         -  1756 

1  — —  by  Deacon  Joseph  Brown,         ...        -  175'J 

1 by  Mr.  Richard  Arms, 1763 

2 by  Thomas  Hancock.  Esq.  of  Boston,        -         -  1764 

I —— by  Mr.  Isaac  Stone              .         -        -         -         -  1765 
3  — —  by  Francis  Bowman,  Esq. 


30 

practical  works  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Baxter,  in  four 
folio  volumes,  were  given  the  church  by  the  H-onorable 
Samuel  Holden,  Esq.  of  London.  In  1762,  the  sec- 
ond bell  was  given  the  town  by  Mr.  Isaac  Stone.* 
In  1764,  a  legacy  of  twenty  pounds,  lawful  money, 
was  left  the  church  by  Thomas  Hancock,  Esq.  of 
Boston.t  In  1779,  Mrs.  Rachel  Butterfield  of  Bridge- 
water  gave  the  church  'thirteen  pounds,  six  shillings 
and  eight  pence  for  the  purchase  of  U  silver  tankard, 
and  fifty  pounds  more  to  be  disposed  of  as  the  church 
should  think  fit."J  She  also  gave  the  town  "fifty 
pounds,  the  interest  of  which  to  be  annually  improv- 
ed for  the  use  of  a  school.''  In  1793,  the  late  Gov- 
ernor Hancock  presented  the  church  and  congregation 
this  Bible,  and  gave  the  town  one  hundred  dollars 
towards  defraying  the  expense  of  building  this  house 

*The  bell,  now  in  use,  was  purc|)asedin  X801-  The  clock  in  the  meet- 
ing-house was  procured  in  1802. 

•j-  He  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Hancock  of  tliis  town,  one  of  the 
principal  merchants  of  New  England,  a  most  useful  member  of  society, 
and  for  many  years  one  of  his  Majesty's  council.  He  left  1000  pounds 
for  founding  a  professorship  of  the  Hebrew  and  other  oriental  langua- 
ges in  Harvard  college:  1000  pounds  for  the  society  for  propagating  the 
gospel;  600  poumls  lowai'ds  a  hospital  for  the  reception  of  persons  de- 
prived of  their  senses;  and  200  pounds  for  a  linen  factory.  Dr.  Eliot's 
piog.  Diet. 

i  In  consequence  of  the  depreciation  of  paper  money,  this  legacy  was 
found,  in  1781,  to  have  "sunk  in  its  value,  so  as  in  a  great  measure  to 
frustrate  the  benevolent  and  pious  intentions  of  the  donor."  That  a  me- 
morial of  lier  kindness  might  be  possessed,  Mr.  Simeon  Leonard,  the 
executor  of  her  "will,  generously  offered  tlie  church  *'twenty  dollars 
to  v.irds  pur.-hasmg  a  handsome  tankard  for  the  communion  table,  in 
case  ihc  ciiurch  agreed  and  saw  fit  to  prociu'e  one,  engraved  with  the  in- 
scription which  Mrs  B.  in  her  life  time,  had  mentioned."  The  proposal 
■was  accepted  by  the  church,  and  the  tankard,  now  in  use,  accordingly 
procured.     C!ih.  Rcc. 


31 

of  public  worship.*  The  same  year,  and  for  the  same 
purpose,  the  town  received  twenty-two  dollars  from 
the  Rev.  Jonas  Clark — Thankfully  may  we  ever  re- 
collect, and  carefully  transmit  to  posterity,  the  names 
of  our  kind  and  pious  benefactors. 

The  goodness  of  God  has  been  distinguishingly 
manifested  to  the  church  and  people  in  this  place. 
Our  fai hers  trusted  in  Him,  and  he  delivered  them; 
they  trusted  in  Him,  and  were  not  confounded.  In 
their  seasons  of  peril  and  distress,  he  was  their  defence, 
and  in  their  endeavors  to  honor  him,  he  blessed  them. 
He  has  favored  the  town  with  a  good  degree  of  health, 
and  preserved  an  unusual  number  of  its  inhabitants 
to  old  aget  He  has  sent  into  this  part  of  his  vine- 
yard faithful  laborers;  ministers  of  the  everlasting  gos- 
pel, who  were  ^'burning  and  shining  lights."  He  has 
blessed  the  church  with  seasons  of  refreshing  from  his 
presence.  His  spirit,  at  times,  has  come  down  like 
rain  upon  the  mown  grass,  and  as  shotcers  that  wat- 
er the  earth.l  The  days  have  been,  when  there 
were  but  few,  very  few,  who  did  not  regard  the  sab- 
bath as  ''the  holy  of  the  Lord;"  when  the  youth  were 

*  Gov.  Hancock,  whose  patriotic  and  benevolent  deeds  entilled  him  to 
a  distinguished  rank  among  the  friends  of  his  country  and  tlic  benefac- 
tors of  mankind,  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Hancock  of  Braintree,  and 
grandson  of  the  Rev.  John  Hancock  of  this  town. 

.f  There  are  now  living  in  town  fifty  persons,  who  are  over  seventy  years 
of  age.  Of  the  sevent}-five.  who  iiave  died  since  my  ordination,  twenty 
■were  seventy  and  over  seVenty,  and  eight  over  eighty  years  of  age.  'rhe 
numberof  inhabitants,  according  to  the  last  census,  is  1052-  The  nuni^ 
ber  of  families  IS  198;  of  dwelling  houses,  168. 

it  The  admissions  to  the  church,  in  1755,  were  thirty-two;  in  I7i2, 
forty  two;  in  1728,  seventy  four-  Twenty  nine,  the  greatest  number  ad 
ded  at  any  one  time,  were  admitted,  April  14,  1728. 


5i2 

generally  united  in  inquiring  the  way  to  Zion;*  and 
when  the  common  voice  of  the  people  was,  on  every 
Lord's  day,  "Let  us  meet  together  in  the  house  of 
God."  Harmony  has  generally  prevailed  in  the 
church  and  among  the  inhabitants.  The  interfere 
ence  and  advice  of  ecclesiastical  councils  has,  in  no  in- 
stance, been  found  necessary  to  heal  divisions — Many 
and  various  are  the  instances  of  divine  goodness,  which 
we  are  permitted  this  day  to  review.  Truly,  we  may 
say.  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us. 

Reflect,  my  brethren,  on  the  years  which  are  past,  and 
contemplate  the  blessings  your  ancestors  enjoyed.  Sur- 
vey the  rich  inheritance  which  has  been  transmitted 
from  them  to  you,  and  let  it  be  the  desire  of  your 
hearts  that  their  god  may  be  your  god.  If  you 
would  enjoy  the  friendship  of  that  almighty  Being, 
who  was  the  fountain  whence  all  their  mercies  flowed, 
let  it  be  your  constant  and  unwearied  endeavor  to 
imitate  their  virtues.  Be  faithful,  like  them  in  main- 
taining the  ordinances  of  religion.  Cultivate  the  piety 
which  warmed  their  hearts  and  adorned  their  lives, 
and  shun  the  vices  which  they  avoided  and  reproved. 
Let  your  houses  be  houses  of  prayer,  and  let  your 
youth  be  taught  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  If  you  be  fol- 
lovcers  of  them  who  through  faith  and  patience^  inher- 
it the  promises;  if  you  be  stedfast,  immoveable,  always 
abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  the  smiles  of 
your  fathers'  God  will  rest  upon  you,  and  unborn 
generations  shall  arise  and  call  you  blessed.  But  if 
you  be  a   disobedient    and  backsliding   people,  the 

•  For  ma-.^y  years  tliere  was  a  society  of  young"  men,  who  regularly  met 
on  sabbulh  evenings  for  religious  purposes. 


Lord  will  jight  against  you  with  the  stcord  of  /livf 
moiUh,  and  remove  this  candlestick  out  of  its  place. 

The  time  may  not  be  far  distant,  when  he,  who  now 
addresses  you,  will  be  numbered  witli  the  dead.  When 
that  time  arrives,  and  either  you  or  your  children  shall 
be  called  to  the  important  duty  of  seeking  one  to  min- 
ister to  you  in  holy  things,  remember  hoxc  you  have 
heardy  and  let  no  man  deceive  you  with  enticing  words. 
As  you  love  your  own  souls,  and  as  you  value  the 
eternal  interests  of  your  posterity,  guard  against  those 
who  pervert  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Believe  not  every 
spirit;  but  try  the  spirits,  whether  they  be  of  God;  for 
•many  false  prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world.  You 
will  need  counsel  and  assistance.  Ask  it  of  them  who 
feel  the  power  and  know  the  value  of  divine  truth. 
Ask  it,  especially,  of  God.  Earnestly  implore  hisligl\t 
and  guidance.  Importunately  supplicate  that  he  would 
give  you  a  pastor  after  his  own  heart,  and  that  he 
would  never  suffer  this  holy  ground  to  be  polluted  by 
the  feet  of  "wolves  in  sheep's  clothing."  And  we  be- 
seech you  ever  to  know  them  which  labor  among  you, 
and  are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and  admonish  you;  and 
to  esteem  them  very  highly  in  love  for  their  tvork's 
sake.     And  be  at  peace  among  yourselves. 

Our  time,  my  brethren,  is  short.  Man''s  days  are 
as  grass.  As  a  flower  of  the  field,  so  he  flourisheth: 
for  the  wind  passeth  over  it.,  and  it  is  gone,  and  the 
place  thereof  shall  knotv  it  no  more.  A  review  of 
past  scenes  is  pow^erfully  calculated  to  remind  us  of 
the  fleeting  nature  of  time  and  the  instability  of  all 
earthly  things.  How  numerous  and  vast  are  the 
changes  which  have  been  effected  in  a  century!  What 
multitudes  have  been  gathered  to  the  congregation  of 


^  34 

the  dead!  What  commotions  and  revolutions  has  the 
world  experienced! — Future  years  will  unfold  occur- 
rences no  less  interesting  and  important.  The  millions 
of  the  human  race,  who  now  inhabit  the  earth,  are  in 
rapid  succession  going  to  the  house  appointed  for  all 
the  living;  and  the  present  agitation  of  the  nations  is 
tending  to  the  accomplishment  of  events,  which  will 
deeply  and  extensively  affect  the  condition  of  future 
generations.  With  trembling  fear  and  hope  we  con- 
template the  scenes  which  are  passing,  and  desire  to 
look  into  futurity— But,  in  the  multitude  of  our 
thoughts,  let  us  not  be  unmindful  "what  manner  of 
persons  we  are,"  Let  us  not  forget  that  the  ever- 
flowing  stream  of  time  is  rapidly  bearing  us  to  the 
ocean  of  eternity. 

_ Life  speeds  away 


From  point  to  point,  though  seeming-  to  stand  still; 

The  cunning  fugitive  is  swifi  by  stealth; 

I'oo  subtle  is  the  movement  to  be  seen; 

Yet  soon  man's  hcr.i-  is  up,  and  we  are  gone. — YouifG. 

Sensible  of  the  important  errand  on  which  we  are 
sent  into  the  world,  and  conscious  of  the  worth  of 
time,  let  us  do  with  our  might  what  our  hands  find  to 
do;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device^  nor  knowledge, 
nor  tvlsdom  in  the  grave,  whither  we  go.  Let  us  live 
the  lives  of  the  righteous,  that  we  may  die  their  death. 
Let  us  walk  in  those  paths  of  godliness  which  our 
pious  ancestors,  now  in  glory,  pursued:  that  we  may 
stand  with  them  hereafter  on  the  holy  hill  of  Zion, 
and  unite  our  voices  with  theirs  in  ascribing  blessing, 

AND  HONOR,  AND  GLORY,  AND  POWER,  UNTO  HIM  THAT 
SITTETIl  UPON  THE  THRONE,  AND  UNTO  THE  LaMB 
FOR  EVER  AND  EVER. 


"^1^ 


